Well, driving the first Mustang ever built around the grounds of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn certainly is cool, anyway.

The Wimbledon White 1965 Mustang convertible purred like a kitten on a recent sunny day, nearly 37 years since it had been mothballed upon entering the museum's collection.

The car is virtually in the same condition as the day it arrived at the museum, bearing the nicks it acquired during the two years it accidentally slipped out of Ford Motor Co.'s hands and into the ownership of Capt. Stanley Tucker, a Canadian airline pilot.

When I slipped behind Mustang 001's wheel, the engine rumbled happily and the three-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission dropped smoothly into drive for a spin around the museum grounds.

Despite -- or maybe because of -- its technical simplicity, the Mustang is amazingly easy and pleasant to drive. The same day the 39-year-old convertible started at the first twist of its key, a $54,850 2004 German sedan I was testing had a meltdown, leaving me stranded in a parking lot calling tech support on my cell phone.

The first Mustang turns out to be a surprisingly manageable and user-friendly car.

It doesn't have cup holders, and the fit and finish -- notably the uneven space between body panels and the quality of the paint job -- would never make it through quality control today, but a few minutes behind the wheel reveal the reasons the Mustang became the rage of the age, selling more than one million units in just over two years on the market.

The power steering -- an option back then -- guided the Mustang smoothly around the construction equipment lining the museum grounds. The power brakes -- another option, proudly identified with the words Power Brake stamped into the rubber cover on the pedal -- were smooth and firm, halting the convertible confidently at intersections, where oncoming traffic slowed to admire the convertible and teenagers stopped in their tracks to goggle and wave.

The interior clearly comes from another age, with AM-only radio -- which worked -- and non-retracting seat belts laid across its black vinyl seats. The doors and the large center console lack the storage space we take for granted today, although there's a large and useful compartment in the console at the base of the dashboard.

By the standards of 1964, however, this was a tight, well-made and well-equipped car. The vinyl-covered dashboard was a significant step up from the metal dashes common at the time, and the deep-dish concave steering wheel provided some of the safety benefits that would later come from collapsible steering columns, said Robert H. Casey, John and Horace Dodge curator of historical resources at the Henry Ford.

Even if it weren't a museum piece, this is a convertible I'd be happy to drive any day of the week.

Mustang 001 rolled off the Rouge assembly line March 9, 1964. Because the car came out early in 1964, many people refer to the original Mustang as a 1964 or 1964 1/2 model, but Ford officially considers it an early 1965, or simply a 1965 model, according to Casey.

Ford dispatched the car on a dealership tour to build showroom traffic. Then, as now, it drew crowds wherever it went.

The convertible eventually found its way to a Ford dealer in Newfoundland, Canada, where some salesperson apparently didn't get the memo that this future museum piece was wanted back in Dearborn.

Capt. Stanley Tucker bought it -- Ford doesn't know for how much, but the sticker price was $3,307.15 U.S. -- and fell in love with the little white convertible.

Ford tried to buy the car back, but Tucker's response was essentially "I like my car, why would I sell it?"

As Mustang sales approached a million in barely two years, Ford made Tucker another offer: We'll take your Mustang in trade.

The company would build Mustang No. 1,000,001 to Tucker's exact specifications, and fit it with whatever options he wanted, in exchange for 001.

He relented, swapping his car for a new '67 with special features that included a built-in television set.

The Mustang went into storage at the museum the day it returned to Dearborn, Casey said. It was museum policy not to display any vehicle less than 20 years old, so Mustang 001 disappeared from public view until 1984.

"It was a lot of work getting the Mustang ready for the road," Malcom Collum, conservator of historical resources at the Henry Ford said at the end of my test drive.

"My job now is to make sure it's easier for them when they roll it out for Ford's second centennial."

ON DISPLAY
The Mustang is usually on display at the Henry Ford in Dearborn, but it's making a special appearance at the Greenfield Village Motor Muster on June 14-15, where it will be the centerpiece of a Father's Day display of more than 600 cars, motorcycles and bicycles dating from 1933 to 1973.

__________________
Stacy94PGT
My first car was a 67 Mustang Coupe, 2nd one was a 67 Cougar XR-7, 3rd one was a 66 Mustang Coupe. Why did I get rid of these cars for ? I know why, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid.

The task of bringing the Mustang 001 back to life fell to Malcolm Collum at the Henry Ford in Dearborn and three volunteers from Ford Motor Co. who sacrificed their evenings and weekends since March to make it roadworthy.

They got their reward when the engine burbled to life in early May for the first time since the car entered the museum collection Sept. 27, 1966, given to Ford by the Canadian auto pilot who bought it two years earlier.

"It's like he just pulled it into the Henry Ford Museum parking lot and parked it," said Collum, conservator of historical resources at the Henry Ford.

"The engine was filled with water for storage," Collum said. "We got it back in running condition, and the only major component we replaced was the water pump. It's still got the original Canadian oil filter."

Not to mention the original brakes and cylinders, power steering pump and radiator.

"We did have to flush some big chunks of corrosion out," Collum said.

His team held its collective breath early in May as the engine cranked for the first time.

If it ran, Mustang serial number 5F08F1001 would be a star when the all-new 2005 Mustang goes into production in Flat Rock next year.

If things went wrong, one of the museum's star attractions could be permanently damaged.

The 260-cubic-inch 164-horsepower V8 sucked air through its two-barrel carburetor, leaded gasoline surged from the fuel tank, and Collum and his volunteers breathed a sigh of relief.

In addition to Ford's centennial this month, the 40th anniversary of the '65 Mustang's 1964 debut is less than a year away.

__________________
Stacy94PGT
My first car was a 67 Mustang Coupe, 2nd one was a 67 Cougar XR-7, 3rd one was a 66 Mustang Coupe. Why did I get rid of these cars for ? I know why, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid.

__________________
Stacy94PGT
My first car was a 67 Mustang Coupe, 2nd one was a 67 Cougar XR-7, 3rd one was a 66 Mustang Coupe. Why did I get rid of these cars for ? I know why, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid.

greetings all
i think the 64 - 66 mustangs are the best ever
i had a 64 1/2 "D" Code Convertable a few years ago & loved it, having owned a few different make convertables over the years from a couple of early model mustang's to a 63 corvette roadster to a 75 convertable to a 85 camaro & then to a 84 bmw cab i think the mustang wins hands down

regards
rod

__________________
the toes that you step on today may be attached the the legs that hold up the a$$ that you may need to kiss tomorrow

The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.

AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.